'Ant-Man' ready for his closeup: First image of Paul Rudd as Marvel superhero released

Paul Rudd strikes a not-so-heroic pose in the first look at 'Ant-Man.' (Marvel Studios)

Paul Rudd could have made for a pretty good supervillain — if he wasn't already cast as the titular superhero in Marvel's "Ant-Man."

The first image of the actor, best known as a staple of romantic comedies, from the movie debuted Tuesday in USA Today — a day after production on the film began in San Francisco.

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Though the image doesn't show Rudd in his superhero costume, it does give a good look at what's likely an early scene in the movie. Rudd's character, Scott Lang, starts off as a thief who ultimately becomes a reluctant hero, teamming up with a scientist played by Michael Douglas.

Director Peyton Reed signed on in June, taking over for Edgar Wright, who quit over "differences in the vision of the film" with Marvel.

He inherited great expectations and an even better cast, which also includes Evangeline Lilly, Michael Pena and "The Strain's" Corey Stoll.

Michael Douglas co-stars in the Marvel movie. (Marvel)

"It's kind of tough to wrap my brain around," Rudd said of playing an action superhero during Marvel's panel at San Diego Comic-Con last month.

"I've been doing (acting) as a job for a while, but this a whole other thing. I'm excited about the challenges."